1 month in Chile

Hola!

Well, I have officially been in Chile for 1 month now. It doesn´t really feel like it, the time just flies by!! But I am loving every second of it! My comp and I are doing a lot of work in this ward Los Olmos, and we are seeing miracles every day.

One man we have been teaching is named José. He is from the rural area of Chile and doesn’t know how to read, but is super humble. He has been having a hard time coming to the chapel, but yesterday he told us he was ready to go and waited for us! We never told him we would come and get him to come to church, because we had stake conference 3 miles away, but he finally made the effort to come to church!! We really stressed the importance of Church attendance, and it paid off. We are also teaching him how to read and write in Spanish so that he can write his name and read the scriptures. It makes my companion and I so happy when we see that he finished his homework and is proud of what he has done. I’m sure it is only a fraction of the joy that our Father in Heaven feels when we are obeying his commandments and doing the things that are pleasing to him!

We are working on helping the people we teach understand our role as missionaries more. The Chilean people are amazing and super friendly, but that isn´t always a good thing when you have a message to share. They like to talk and talk and talk about whatever, and it is really hard to get a word in. So we are going to start working on talking less and teaching more.

Chilean word of the week- `Flite´ (fly-tay). It means gangster or thug. There are a few flite areas in our sector, and we try to avoid them after dark. But they are also where the most humble and ready to learn people live. So we are working on concentrating our work to this area and finding people who are ready to listen! Flites are also the young kids that think they are super gangster and yell `HELLO´ to us all the time! They should see what real gangsters look like in compton jaja

I hope everything back in the states is going good! The work of the Lord is moving forward with more strength and power than ever! We need to make the decision to help push. The members in this area are key to our work. The testimony they bear and added witness they bring are irreplaceable. If you have the chance, go out with the Elders. If they don’t invite you, ask! I promise it will be a spiritual experience that you wont forget!

You are in my prayers!
Elder Willis